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CUE CARD: HISTORICAL PLACE

Đề: Describe a historical place/site you have been to.

You should say:

• what place/site it is

• what people can see there

• what you enjoyed there the most

and explain how you felt about being there.

Model Answer:

Malacca city in Malaysia is quite a unique place which I have been lucky enough to visit a couple of years ago. And specifically, Saint Paul's Hill in Malacca is a great historic place to be. This site dates back to the time when the Portuguese conquered the city in 1511, and I would like to talk about this mesmerizing place for this topic.

Saint Paul's Hill is in the heart of Malacca city and a popular tourist destination. Malacca has so many historical and unique tourist attractions and sites which I enjoyed to the fullest, but nothing beats Saint Paul's Hills. The Saint Paul's Church is at the top of the hill and it was built by the Portuguese Catholics. These days, only the walls, frames, and a glimpse of an astounding architectural style remain, but the historical prominence and its glory are still boasting its significance in every way possible.

When the Dutch invaded the city in around 1641, the church was used as a burial place. Later, during the British colony, the Church was used as a powder magazine. A statue of Saint Francis Xavier still stands there who used to preach in the church. I learned about so many historic facts while visiting this place from a tour guide that we hired.

St. Paul's Hill also bears the presence of  Stadthuys and the Christian church, which signifies the Dutch era in Malacca. The hill also has a replica of the 'Melaka Sultanate Palace' which gave me immense pleasure when I visited there. Finally, I also noticed an entrance to the Portuguese fortress which I liked the most due to its extraordinary presence and architectural style.

The experience of walking at Saint Paul's Hill on a fine afternoon and witnessing so many interesting historical significance was something I will remember for a long time. I enjoyed every bit of my time when I visited there and I hope to visit it again if time permits me.

TỪ VỰNG CHỦ ĐỀ “HISTORICAL PLACE”

• Mesmerize /ˈmez.mə.raɪz/ (v): mê hoặc (to have someone's attention completely so that they cannot think of anything else)

• Invade /ɪnˈveɪd/ (v): xâm lược (to enter a country by force with large numbers of soldiers in order to take possession of it)

• Burial place: nơi chôn cất

• Colony /ˈkɑː.lə.ni/ (n): thuộc địa (a country or area controlled politically by a more powerful country that is often far away)

• Replica /ˈrep.lɪ.kə/ (n): bản sao, bản mô phỏng (an exact copy of an object)

• Fortress /ˈfɔːr.trəs/ (n): pháo đài (a large, strong building or group of buildings that can be defended from attack)

•  Immense pleasure: niềm vui vô hạn

• Brick and tile structure: kết cấu bằng gạch và ngói

• Historical background: bối cảnh lịch sử

• Long history = time-honoured: lâu đời

• Remnant /ˈrem.nənt/ (n): tàn dư (a small piece or amount of something that is left from a larger original piece or amount)

• A sense of pride: cảm giác tự hào

• Top-rated tourist attraction: địa điểm du lịch xếp hàng đầu

• Make the best of: tận dụng tối đa

• Magnitude /ˈmæɡ·nəˌtud/ (n): tầm quan trọng (large size or great importance)

• Victorious history: quá khứ hào hùng

• Period of history: giai đoạn lịch sử

• Pay tribute to (somebody): tưởng nhớ

• Historical figure (n): nhân vật lịch sử

Nguồn: IELTS Mentor